The invention relates to a dispenser packaging for a cream-like mass or a mass ripped away by wiping a surface, comprising a chamber with a delivery opening for receiving and storing the mass, a spindle longitudinally axially and rotatably arranged in the chamber, a piston movable in the chamber along the spindle, a toothed wheel arranged outside the chamber in fixed rotational connection with the spindle, and at least one actuating button, which is arranged at the dispenser packaging, with a moulded on pusher element, wherein the at least one actuating button together with the pusher element is arranged to be movable in such a manner relative to the toothed wheel from a rest setting into an end setting and back that on actuation of the actuating button from the rest setting into the end setting the pusher element goes into engagement with a tooth of the toothed wheel and rotates this.
Dispenser packagings of that kind, in which the user actuates a button while holding the packaging in hand and this button actuation sets a spindle in rotation, which leads to delivery of product from the dispenser packaging, are used for the dispensing of cream or as a deodorant stick.
A dispenser packaging according to this category is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,622. This dispenser packaging comprises a toothed wheel which is connected with a spindle for the advance of a piston and which has teeth at its circumferential surface. A pusher element of an actuating button engages in these teeth in the case of its inwardly directed forward movement from its rest setting into its end setting and thus rotates the toothed wheel through a limited travel. In its end setting the pusher element remains in engagement with the toothed wheel surface. In addition, the toothed wheel has, at its underside front edge surface, further teeth which are formed in correspondence with ramp-shaped teeth at an element in the base region of the prior known dispenser packaging and on rotation of the toothed wheel slide on their ramp surfaces bearing against one another. After reaching the highest point of the ramp surface of the element arranged at the base side, the toothed wheel jumps, under the pressure of a spring, to the succeeding ramp-shaped toothed element. If the user now releases the actuating button, this moves back into its rest setting, whereby the pusher element comes out of engagement with the toothed wheel. A return rotation of the toothed wheel against the rotational direction effected by the pusher element of the actuating button is prevented by the mutually contacting projecting edges of the ramp-shaped teeth.
In the case of this prior known dispenser packaging a return movement of the piston against the rotational direction of the spindle for the toothed wheel is thus not possible not only when the actuating button is pressed, because the pusher element of the actuating button then engages in the toothed wheel, but also when the actuating button is disposed in rest setting, because the teeth of the toothed wheel at the front edge side then stand in engagement with the respective counterpart thereof.
There against, the invention has the object of creating a solution which enables return movement of the piston against the spindle rotational direction driven by the pusher.
In a dispenser packaging of the kind denoted in the introduction this object is met by the dispenser packaging having at least one pusher deflector against which the at least one pusher element abuts before reaching the end setting and which deflects the pusher element out of engagement with the toothed wheel.
It is thereby achieved that the pusher element in its forward movement directed inwardly of the packaging, after it has rotated the toothed wheel through a specific angular setting, is lifted by the pusher deflector out of its engaged setting with the toothed wheel. This now enables, in the pressed setting of the actuating button into its end setting, a return displacement of the piston and thus a rotation of the spindle and the toothed wheel against the rotational direction driven by the pusher. Thus, for example in the case of a deodorant stick, any mass protruding beyond the delivery opening of the dispenser packaging can be pressed back into the dispenser packaging.
In order to ensure that the pusher element initially goes securely into engagement with the toothed wheel, but nevertheless a lifting out is possible before reaching the end setting, the invention proposes in an advantageous development that the pusher element consists of a web-shaped or rod-shaped base body with a moulded-on nose facing the teeth of the toothed body and a deflector web disposed at a spacing from the nose and directed oppositely to the direction of the nose.
It is advantageous for manipulating the actuating button if the actuating button and the pusher element are resiliently arranged and/or intrinsically resiliently constructed in such a manner that the actuating button together with the pusher element automatically moves back out of the end setting into the rest setting. In particular, it is of advantage if the actuating button and the pusher element are constructed to be inherently resilient, so that they automatically move back out of the end setting into the rest setting. This simplifies the constructional cost of the dispenser packaging, as a restoring spring is then not necessary.
In further refinements, the invention alternatively proposes that either the tooth edges of the teeth of the toothed wheel are oriented parallel to the spindle longitudinal axis and the pusher element scans the toothed wheel tangentially or that the tooth edges of the teeth of the toothed wheel are oriented perpendicularly to the spindle longitudinal axis and the pusher element scans the toothed wheel radially.
According to a development of the invention it is of advantage for ergonomic handling of the dispenser packaging if two diametrically oppositely disposed actuating buttons with pusher elements are arranged at the dispenser packaging, wherein on actuation of the actuating buttons the elements substantially simultaneously come into engagement with the toothed wheel at diametrically opposite regions thereof.
Advantageously and equally proposed by the invention, in this embodiment a pusher deflector is associated with each pusher element.
In order to facilitate return pressing of the piston against the spindle rotational direction driven by the pusher it is of advantage if the spindle has a thread inclination of 45xc2x0.
In order that a pushing back of the piston and the associated rotational movement of spindle and toothed wheel against the rotational direction driven by the pusher are possible only in the case of intentional use by the user, the invention finally proposes that the nose of each pusher element in the rest setting of the actuating button engages with the toothed wheel in a manner preventing return rotation of the toothed wheel against the button actuating direction. It is thereby achieved that pushing back of the piston is possible exclusively when the actuating button or actuating buttons is or are pressed into the end setting thereof.
The invention is described in more detail in the following by way of example with reference to the drawings.